Creighton Department to Increase Business Outreach

Creighton University today announced plans to enhance and expand its relationships with the business community and explore new ways in which the University can make its intellectual resources accessible to companies.

A new office of Intellectual Resources Management (IRM), formerly known as the Office of Technology Transfer (OTT), will spearhead the effort. OTT has focused for more than a decade on bringing Creighton research discoveries to the marketplace through licensing agreements with businesses.

Lee Fenicle, who managed OTT for more than 12 years, has been named director of Intellectual Resources Management.

“The name, Intellectual Resources Management, reflects Creighton’s growing commitment to the world around us, as well as a growing trend among leading educational institutions to find new and better ways to interact with the business community,” Fenicle said.

“After many years of working with businesses to connect them to new research discoveries and technologies emerging from Creighton, we recognize that we can still do more to forge connections and relationships that will benefit the university, the business community and ultimately society,” he added. “We are working closely with Creighton’s College of Business so we can offer a full menu of services to businesses.”

One of the key tools of IRM is a new web presence (http://irm.creighton.edu ) that offers businesses a complete menu of the Creighton resources available to them, including:

Technology licensing

Contract research services

Faculty expertise • Entrepreneurial support services • Executive education and professional development opportunities

Internships and hiring information

As part of its outreach efforts, IRM will hold its Second Annual Entrepreneurship Conference, Sept. 25-26 at the Old Market Embassy Suites, 555 S. 10th St. The conference is designed to show inventors how to turn their discoveries and ideas into viable business ventures.